Many Moms Don't Meet Their Own Breastfeeding Goals

June 4, 2012 -- Many moms who want to breastfeed exclusively for three months or longer fall short of meeting this goal, a new study shows.

More than 85% of new moms said they intended to breastfeed for three months or longer, but just 32.4% met their mark. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that mothers breastfeed exclusively for about the first six months of their infant's life because of health benefits for mom and baby.

According to the new report, 42% of moms who intended to breastfeed for three months or longer stopped in the first month, and 15% stopped before they even checked out of the hospital. The study was designed to see which steps in the "Baby-Friendly" hospital initiative help moms meet their breastfeeding goals. This 10-step initiative was developed by the WHO and the United Nations Children's Fund to help hospitals support breastfeeding.

Moms who were most likely to meet their goals were married and had given birth to other children.

They also started to breastfeed within an hour of birth, and their babies were less likely to be given formula or pacifiers during the hospital stay. Of these three findings, breastfeeding exclusively while in the hospital without giving supplemental formula was the most significant factor in reaching breastfeeding goals.

By contrast, mothers who were obese, smoked, or planned to breastfeed for longer durations were less likely to meet their goals.

The findings appear in the July 2012 issue of Pediatrics.

WebMD spoke with study researcher Cria G. Perrine, PhD, and several breastfeeding experts to find out what else moms can do to stay their course if they choose to breastfeed.

Embrace Your New Roomie

Moms do better when babies sleep in the same room as mom as opposed to in a nursery, says Perrine. She is an epidemiologist at the CDC in Atlanta.

Start Early

"Breastfeeding in the first hour is likely to have an influence on whether it goes well," says Barbara Holmes. She is a lactation consultant at New York University Langone School of Medicine.